Metal floor end closure means



y 1965 .M. M. MURRAY 3,194,184

METAL FLOOR END CLOSURE MEANS Filed Jan. 2, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A? FHIUII 36 a 25\ ,2/

INVENTOR. MILL/1RD MMUl-PRAY July 13, 1965 M. M. MURRAY 3,194,184 METAL FLOOR END CLOSURE MEANS Filed Jan. 2, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I". [inn q z: IIIH 52 5625 INVENTOR. M/LLARD M MURRA Y United States Patent 3,l%,l8-l METAL lFlLililR END @LQSURE MEANS Millard M. Murray, La Porte, ind, assignor to Pullman Incorporated, Chicago, Ill, a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 2, 1964, Sea. No. 3535;074- 6 Claims. il. Mid -$22) The present invention relates to flooring structure of railway vehicles and more particularly to a nailable metal flooring and to an end closure means for sealing the space between the longitudinal ends of the metal flooring and the adjacent side walls of the vehicle.

it is an object of the present invention to provide an end closure means for railway vehicles having a nailable metal floor which is of simple construction and which is easily applied.

It is a further object to provide an end closure means which is constructed so as to require a minimum amount of welding to fix the end closure means and achieve a seal between the longitudinal ends of the floor and the associated side wall.

Further objects and features will In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is fragmentary plan view of railway freight vehicle having a nailable metal floor structure and embodying an end closure means of the present invention and with some of the parts being broken away to show underlying details of structure;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional View taken generally along the lines 22 of PEG. 1 showing the preferred embodiment of an end closure arrangement of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional View similar to FIG. 2, but showing a second embodiment of end closure means; and

FIG. 4- is a cross-sectional view similar to H66. 2 and 3 but showing a third embodiment of end closure means.

Referring now to drawings, in particular FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a fragmentary portion of a railway freight vehicle ill which may be of the house car type including the usual underirame ll having side sills 12, side walls 13, flooring 14 and end walls (not shown.)

The side sills 12 may be formed from angle members extending between the end walls along each side of the vehicle. Fined to vertical leg 16 of the side sills 12 are lengthwise spaced upright posts 17 which may be in the form of Z-channel members. Fixed to the outer of the longitudinal limbs ill of the posts 17 is the usual outside metal sheathing l9 and fixed to the inner limb 21 is the car lining 22 which may be wooden planking suitably fixed to the posts 17.

The nailable metal flooring may be of the general type disclosed in U.S. Patent 2,910,616 including a plurality of side-by-side transversely metal planks 23 of substantially channel section. The planks each include a horizontal web 24 and flanges 25 depending downwardly therefrom. The flanges 25 are formed such that the abutting flanges 25 of adjacent planks 2 3 define therebetween spaced nailing grooves as which receive and clinch a nail therein.

Fixed to the underside of each of the planks is an intermediate support member 2'7 which may be in the form of an angle. The angle 27 is preferably constructed to maintain the bottom free edges of the flanges 25 spaced above the underframe members and thereby provide the sole support for the planks 2 3 on the underframe. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 the intermediate support members or angles 27 are supported along each end on the horizontal flange 28 of the respective side sill 12. The

hereinafter appear.

terminal ends of the intermediate support members 27 are located inwardly from the terminal ends of the planks 23 which are spaced outwardly from the vertical leg 16 of the side sill 12 so as to create a gap 29 there- 3, w ll, l 8 4 Patented July 13, 1965 between. This gap 29 is undesirable because debris such as dirt, grain, etc. may collect therein which renders the efiicient cleaning of the car difficult.

To close the gap 29 along the sides there is provided the end closure means which, as shown in FIG. 2, comprises a metal strip member Ill which may extend along the sides of the carfrom the respective end walls (not shown) to the adjacent sides of the door threshold struc: ture (not shown). The metal closure strip member 31 is formed with a substantially horizontal limb 32 of which a marginal portion thereof overlies the ends of the tic-or planks 23 and is fixed thereto as by welding along the terminal edge.

Depending downwardly at an inclined angle from the other end is a web 33 of which the lower end is curved upwardly to form in the nature of a trough 34. The terminal edge 36 of the trough 34 is preferably disposed below the level of the horizontal limb 32 and contacts the inner wall of the vertical leg 16 of the side sill 12. The terminal edge 36 may be fixed to the vertical leg 16 as by the application of a weld along spaced points.

To assure a tight seal along the line of contact or the terminal edge 3: with the vertical leg 16 calking 37 is applied within the trough 3% so as to extend above the terminal edge 36 as shown. The calking is preferably of the non-hardening type which is somewhat yieldable.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a second embodiment of the present invention of an end closure means The end closure means ll is formed as a unitary member including a horizontal limb 42 of which the terminal edge 43 thereof is fixed as by welding to the marginal end of horizontal webs 24 forming the nailable steel flooring. Inclined downwardly from the horizontal limb 42 along a line spaced inwardly from the vertical leg it? or" the side sill 12 is an inclined web 4 from the outer end of which there projects a vertical downwardly depending web 46 which cont-acts the vertical leg id of the side sill 12 along the length thereof.

The end closure means ll is fixed to the marginal ends of the floor planks 23 such that the vertical web as firmly contacts the vertical leg 16. This is readily accomplished by the provision of the downwardly inclined web which permits the member ill to be slightly flexed and brought into firm contact with vertical leg 16 when fixing the horizontal limb 42 on the end of the flooring 14. When thus applied it may not be necessary to apply a weld to fix the downwardly depending vertical web 46 to the vertical leg 16. However, if fastening is required a tack weld may be applied at spaced points.

Caulking 47 is then applied to fill the depression between the inclined web and the vertical web. The caulking 47 is applied such that the top surface thereof is inclined from the horizontal limb 42 upwardly toward the vertical leg l6.

Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown another embodiment of an end closure means 5d embodying the present invention. The end closure means 50 includes a trough-like member 51 and a spanning member 52.

The trough-like member 51 is substantially l-shaped in section including an upstanding leg 53 which is fastened along the upper terminal edge 54 to the vertical leg 16 of the side sill 12. The lower end 56 is formed substantially semi-circular and depending upwardly therefrom is an inner vertical leg 57 which extends upwardly to a lesser height than the upstanding leg 53.

The spanning member 52 includes a horizontal web which overlies and is supported along the marginal edge of the end of the floor planks 23 and the free edge 58 is fixed thereto by welding. The other end of the spanning member is bent downwardly so as to be disposed within the trough 61 defined between the upstanding leg 53 and inner vertical leg 57 of the trough-like member 51. As

(.9 shown, the free end 62 of the inner vertical leg 57 is spaced below the horizontal web 55 of the spanning member 52.

The trough 61 is filled with a suitable caulking 63 which serves to hold downwardly bent end 59 of the spanning plate substantially fixed. It is to be noted that caulking 63 is also applied along the underside of the semi-cir cular portion 56.

What is claimed is:

1. In a railway house car construction comprising the combination of a side sill including a lengthwise extending angle having a horizontal leg and a vertical leg, a metal flooring supported on and fixed to said horizontal leg and having the longitudinal end thereof spaced from said vertical leg, and end closure means for sealing the space between the longitudinal end of said metal flooring and said vertical leg comprising means including a horizontal web supported along the marginal edge of said longitudinal ends and fastened thereto, said horizontal web partially spanning said space, a portion depending downwardly from said horizontal Web and into said space, and caulking contacting adjacent Walls of said downwardly depending portion and said vertical leg of said sill to pro vide a seal therebetween.

2. The invention as defined in claim it wherein said downwardly depending portion comprises a trough-like portion integral with said horizontal Web and having an upstanding leg contacting said vertical leg of said side sill, and wherein said caulking is disposed within trough-like portion and contacts said vertical leg.

3. The invention as defined in claim 2 wherein said trough-like portion includes an inclined portion depending downwardly from said horizontal web, an upstanding portion contacting said vertical web, and a semi-circular portion joining the lower ends of said upstanding portion and said downwardly inclined portion.

4. The invention as defined in claim 3 wherein said up standing portion includes a free edge which is disposed below the plane of said horizontal web, and wherein a weld is applied along said free edge for fixing said member to said vertical web.

5. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said downwardly depending portion comprises a downwardly inclined portion and a vertical downwardly depending portion which engages said vertical web of said side sill, and said caulking is applied to fill the space between said vertical leg and said side sill vertical web.

6. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said end closure means includes a trough member of substantially l-shaped'section, means fixing said trough member to said vertical leg, a second member providing said horizontal web and having a downwardly depending flange extending into said trough, and caulking means in said trough into which said downwardly depending flange is embedded.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,144,450 1/39 Comee et al 105-424 X FOREIGN PATENTS 804,096 7/ 36 France.

ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A RAILWAY HOUSE CAR CONSTRUCTION COMPRISING THE COMBINATION OF A SIDE SILL INCLUDING A LENGTHWISE EXTENDING ANGLE HAVING A HORIZONTAL LEG AND A VERTICAL LEG, A METAL FLOORING SUPPORTED ON AND FIXED TO SAID HORIZONTAL LEG AND HAVING THE LONGITUDINAL END THEREOF SPACED FROM SAID VERTICAL LEG, AND END CLOSURE MEANS FOR SEALING THE SPACE BETWEEN THE LONGITUDINAL END OF SAID METAL FLOORING AND SAID VERTICAL LEG COMPRISING MEANS INCLUDING A HORIZONTAL WEB SUPPORTED ALONG THE MARGINAL EDGE OF SAID LONGITUDINAL ENDS AND FASTENED THERETO, SAID HORIZONTAL WEB PARTIALLY SPANNING SAID SPACE, A PORTION DEPENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID HORIZONTAL WEB AND INTO SAID SPACE, AND CAULKING CONTACTING ADJACENT WALLS OF SAID DOWNWARDLY DEPENDING PORTION AND SAID VERTICAL LEG OF SAID SILL TO PROVIDE A SEAL THEREBETWEEN. 